


Bad Romance

by badassbutterfly1987



Series: Raith Slice of Life [1]
Category: The Dresden Files - Jim Butcher
Genre: Discussion of Abortion, F/M, Falling In Love, Giving Birth, Gray Morality, Political Alliances, Slice of Life, Sort Of, Unhappy Ending, Unplanned Pregnancy, discussion of miscarriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-10
Updated: 2021-01-13
Packaged: 2021-03-07 23:48:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 3,698
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26936137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/badassbutterfly1987/pseuds/badassbutterfly1987
Summary: The rise and fall of Margaret’s relationship with Lord Raith
Relationships: Margaret LeFay/Lord Raith
Series: Raith Slice of Life [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1965466
Comments: 6
Kudos: 3





	1. First Meeting

**Author's Note:**

> In which Margaret makes questionable life choices and it almost works out.  
> Yes, the title is a reference to the Lady Gaga song, because I am that inventive.

Despite her reputation, Margaret did now how to make political maneuvers. She had more than earned her title of LeFay. She was, however, far from timid. 

Margaret was also, currently, bored out of her mind. It was a dinner party of sorts. There are wizards, fae folk, and some members of the Red and White Courts. Despite the seemingly relaxed atmosphere, the event had a political undertone to it. Some wanted more power, some wanted to maintain the tenuous peace, and nothing would actually be solved this night. 

Perhaps it was the night’s boredom or the knowledge of the White Council of Wizards’ ineffectiveness that caused her to walk boldly towards the King of the White Court. It was reckless and potentially dangerous and the Council would not approve. Why was she doing this?

Why not?

Lord Raith is standing apart from the various small groups that have formed. One of his daughters, she presumes based on their similar facial features and dark hair, is standing by his side. There are other White Court women scattered around the room. His other daughters, going off of their shared likeness. Either he has exceptionally strong genes, or House Raith has an inbreeding problem. 

Margaret pushes her hand out with confidence. “Margaret LeFay. You must be Lord Raith.”  
If Lord Raith is surprised by her boldness, he does not show it. Instead of shaking her hand like a normal person, he takes her hand and presses his lips to her knuckles. “A pleasure to meet you, Lady Margaret”, he says with the acceptable amount of propriety. 

She thinks, pretentious aristocratic asshole.  
She says, “the pleasure is mine, Lord Raith.”

The conversation continues with the typical mindless small talk. There is a sense of awkwardness to it. A result of neither having a plan or end goal in mind, perhaps. So, partly out of fun and partly out of curiosity, Margaret decides to continue with a small provocation.

“Have you tried the food?” She gestures to the nearby banquet table. “It’s quite good for this kind of party.”

Raith smiles in a way that reminds her of a wolf. “I ate my fill before coming here, unfortunately”.

Margaret knows exactly what kind of meal he is referring to. She returns with a jab of her own. "It is unfortunate your kind can’t digest normal food.” There’s more of an edge to her voice now. He doesn’t return it. If anything, he seems more interested in her now. He glances past her, likely seeing an approaching Warden hoping to remove her from the situation before she insults the White King. 

Lord Raith steps away with an intriguing comment, “This has been an interesting conversation, Lady Margaret. Perhaps we can finish it another time?”

The Council did not, in fact, approve. Margaret cannot say she regrets it.  
(Even later, when things start to fall apart, she won’t be able to quite regret it.)


	2. Truce

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Margaret seeks a truce. This is how it starts.

They weren’t able to actually finish that conversation for another six months. Margaret saw him in passing but not in situations that facilitated such talks. It did at least give her time to figure out what she wanted. The low-ranking White Court vampire was more than a little surprised when she gave him a letter to pass on to Lord Raith. Two weeks later she received a personal invitation to Lord Raith’s private estate. 

Margaret brought her staff and shield bracelet with her. She was protected by Sacred Hospitality, but it was foolish to assume the White Court wouldn’t know loopholes. She was let in by one of Raith’s daughters and led to the dining room, which must seem hilarious to a vampire. 

Which leads to her waiting, alone, in an empty dining room for over five minutes. She recognizes this power play: implying that she poses minimal threat to the White King in his own home and therefore that she has less importance than her wizard status would suggest. 

“I would hope you weren’t kept waiting for long,” she hears Lord Raith say. He comes in from behind her of course. She doesn’t acknowledge his presence until he sits down across from her. Two can play at this game. 

She says with a false sweetness, “I’m sure you’re a very busy man.” Expressing her irritation could be seen as showing weakness, admitting that his attempts had gotten to her. 

There is a brief quiet as both contemplate how to start.

“These are unusual circumstance, I must admit” he begins. “Our current conflict is not ideal to act on your suggestions.”

“I want peace,” Margaret says simply. “This is leading to an unnecessary war. I want to find an alternative.”

“My people have long memories. Do you expect us to forgive the continued murder of our kind, including children?”

Margaret winces at that. There were deaths on both sides, but that didn’t decrease the anger of the White Court. Lower White Court members were almost always the children or grandchildren of the House Rulers. It wasn’t helped that some of the more extreme wizards had gone after younger ones that had barely reached adulthood. Such actions aren’t sanctioned by the Council but she doubts that Lord Raith, who may very well have lost some of his own kin this way, cares about the distinction. 

She makes sure to soften her tone, “ I believe your anger is justified but I do not wish to see my people killed either. I want a truce.”

“Does your Council know you’re here?”

“No.”

“Then this is not sanctioned?”

“It will be when they see positive results.”

Margaret speaks with a confidence she does not fully have. Lord Raith does not speak and remains still. Perhaps he is considering her offer? Or he is contemplating the best way to dispose of her. This will be the first hurdle.

Eventually he says, “I am willing to attempt your truce. My Court may not approve but they will follow my lead.”

Margaret relaxes. It’s not quite peace but it is a start. Now she just has to convince the Council.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My idea of how their relationship begins. With how little is known about what happened I had to fill in a lot of gaps, especially why Margaret would first go to him, have a son, and stay for 5ish years.
> 
> I don't know how often I'll update, but I aiming for at least once a week. Prompt ideas are also welcome.


	3. Negotiations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which negotiations begin and Margaret goes a little deeper into the rabbit hole.

The beginning of the negotiations is messy. The Council wants to have someone else mediate between them and the White Court. Lord Raith refuses to speak with anyone that isn’t her. There are also disagreements on when, where, and how often a mediator should be involved. They eventually reach the tentative agreement that Margaret would mediate at potential Council-White Court negotiations, as well meet with both groups individually to reach a compromise. This would have the byproduct of her visiting the Raith Estate 2-3 times a week. All of this came with stipulation that any element of this could be altered in the future. 

Then Lord Raith invited her down into The Deeps. The cavern that stands at the edge of the Raith Estate is less frightening than the name would suggest. It even has an austere beauty to it. It is as large as many cathedrals she suspects. The walls long since smoothed over by centuries or more of running water. Near the back of the cavern is a large white throne, built for a king. The fancy furniture is grouped together in three different areas. It seems the Houses don’t like to mingle. What draws her attention the most is the raised stone platform in the center of the cavern. It is circular in shape and ten feet across. It feels reminiscent of a sacrificial altar. Most troubling is the triangular symbol carved into it. She tries not to think about what use they would find in a thaumaturgy symbol.

As she walks a few steps behind Lord Raith she tries not to shudder at the empty eyes of the thralls, present only to serve as appetizers when typical snacks aren’t appealing enough. It’s a sharp reminder that despite their civility and their human appearance, the White Court was still very much inhuman. But Margaret had a job to do, and if she had to put aside some sticky morality for the sake of negotiations then she would. She had worked with the Fae Courts often enough over the past several decades to learn that lesson well. 

Watching the rest of the White Court react to her is interesting. The ones belonging to House Raith follow their lord’s example and are either friendly or neutral. Houses Malvora and Skavis remain polite but she can sense the underlying hostility. It makes sense, she supposes; those who feed off fear and despair would want to keep a possible war going. When Lord Raith takes to his throne, the tense chatter quiets down. When the meeting officially starts several voices erupt, each with their own opinion to share.

And Margaret can’t understand a single damn word of it. 

“The White Court has not been this united in a long time.” 

Margaret startles at the voice and turns to see Lara standing at her left. Lord Raith’s eldest daughter truly is a sight to behold. She is beautiful of course but it’s more than that. The grace with which she moves, the bright intelligence in her eyes, and the confidence she radiates all indicate a regal figure. Margaret can easily imagine her leading the White Court. 

“Everyone was prepared for a fight against the Council before you tried to set up a truce,” Lara continues. There is a brief pause. “My father didn’t mention the meeting would be spoken in ancient Etruscan, did he?”

“He did not” Margaret confirms with some irritation. How was she to mediate if she didn’t understand what was being said?

Lara seems a little amused by that but quickly shifts her expression back to neutral. “Lord Raith sometimes overlooks the smaller details.”

Which meant he could be an inconsiderate dick. She was glad to have that confirmed.

Lara apparently takes pity on her ignorance and starts to fill her in on the situation. “Lady Malvora is the most vocally opposed. She sees wizards as abominations and hates you on principle, especially after the recent death of one of her daughters. She’s led her House long enough to earn their respect and loyalty. Lord Skavis has a disgustingly low opinion on women but currently stands neutral on the issue. House Raith seems a bit divided at the moment, but we know to follow our lord’s commands.”

Margaret considers her options. House Malvora is a lost cause at the moment but might be reasoned with when tensions were less high. Their reaction is fueled by emotion; if Lady Malvora has a close bond (for a White Court vampire) with her House members then she might be convinced that avoiding a war would keep more of her family alive in the long-term. Lord Skavis seems unlikely to listen to her; she might have to let Lord Raith handle him.  
Margaret also decides to later speak with any House Raith members she can; it would be important for them to present a united front. 

Throughout the rest of the meeting Lara is kind enough to help her keep track of what is being spoken. She also gives names to individuals Margaret is unfamiliar with. Lara also informs her that at one point Lord Raith had referred to her as ‘Lady Margaret’, which the others apparently didn’t like. One of the Skavis had called her a word that Lara politely chooses not to translate before he was scolded by the elders. 

The title of ‘Lady’ had been a little charming at their first meeting but here? She can’t quite identify how she feels about it. Margaret files it away for later.

It quickly becomes clear little progress will be made this night but that’s alright. She is used to the headache that is the Council and even the Fae liked their complex games.

\--------

Margaret and Lord Raith talk the next day when he is showing off (he is definitely showing off even if he wouldn’t admit to it) the estate’s beautiful garden. She shares her ideas of how to unite the three Houses and he confirms their feasibility. 

Margaret decides now is as good a time as any and says, “We need to set some ground rules.”

If he is surprised by her abruptness, he doesn’t show it and waits for her to continue. 

She does. “If I am to mediate then I need to know the situation I’m getting into. No more sending me in blind.” That’s easy and reasonable. It’s the next part he might not like. “And if I choose to walk away, I need to be confident you will let me.”

Raith seems… puzzled by that. “Do you want to walk away?”

She doesn’t. She wants to be here. She wants to be the one to stop a war between wizards and vampires. Sure, it’s dangerous and the White Court is dangerous and Lord Raith is especially dangerous. And wasn’t that what drew her to him in the first place?

But Margaret can’t say any of that and so delays answering. The garden really is beautiful, she observes. She admires the foxglove flowers as she contemplates her words. 

“I need to be certain,” she admits. 

“I give my word you will be safe in my house. If you choose to leave, none of my people will stop or threaten you.”

That’s all she needs. When Lord Raith offers his hand, she takes it. The heat she feels is only gratitude of course. She’s just relieved to be listened to. 

And if she does maintain her grip longer than prudent, well, she just didn’t expect his hand to be warm because why wouldn’t she assume all vampires are cold?

What else could it be?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Margaret's denial won't last long.  
> And a bit of Lara too!
> 
> I decided to play around a little with foreshadowing, subtext, and symbolism. Hopefully it wasn't too blunt.


	4. Passion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which their relationship escalates.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to give Lord Raith a first name because it gets a little tiring just calling him 'Lord Raith'.

The first 8 months mostly go as expected. Margaret mediates at public events and looks for places to compromise. The White Court families show some willingness to listen, at least once she learns enough Etruscan to communicate (she finds it a little funny that they are just as bureaucratic and dependent on tradition as the Council). Negotiation requires compromises that both sides grumble about but ultimately accept. The worst of the hostility between wizards and the White Court starts to fade.

Perhaps it is because of this relative calm that she doesn’t realize it right away. The light hand touches. The way he seems to open up a little when it’s just them. Margaret isn’t ignorant of this… _thing_ between them; she just doesn’t expect anything to come from it. She’s been reckless with her choice of lovers before but with the importance of this situation she would have thought Lord Raith would sensibly keep their relationship professional.

The offer of her own bedroom at the estate is what clues her in.

“You want me to have my own room?” she asks.

“It seems prudent to offer a frequent guest such as yourself a private room,” he replies.

“I don’t expect to be sleeping here often,” Margaret points out.

“There is more than one use for a bed.”

Oh.

Well, then.

She pushes Lord Raith against the wall, just to see what he will do. When she kisses him, he reciprocates with equal passion and pulls her closer. A light touch along her side sends a wave of heat through her.

This isn’t sensible.

Margaret doesn’t want sensible. She wants _him_.

<<<

At least they made it to a bed, she notes during the warm afterglow.

He lays behind her with his hand skimming along her side. It sends warm tingles through her.

Margaret reluctantly pulls herself away and out of the bed. Enjoyable as it is, she can’t be distracted for this conversation.

Their clothes are scattered around the room. Her shirt appears to have disappeared completely.

“There should be something to wear in the wardrobe.”

She nods gratefully. She finds a pretty blue bathrobe made from an expensive soft material and slips it on.

Margaret takes a seat at the nearby vanity table. Lord Raith is still unclothed but is at least partially covered by the bed sheets. Tempted though she is, she has enough self-control to stay focused.

“We need to set some ground rules.”

At his gesture to go on, she continues.

“The Council is not to know of…” she struggles with the right word before admitting “what ever _this_ is. They already question my competency. This is not to affect my role between the Council and the White Court. I will still be allowed to end this if I feel it is a better decision.”

Margaret considers anything she has missed.

“I will also be allowed to use a spell to lower my fertility. A surprise pregnancy is the last thing we need right now.”

Raith is quiet but eventually says, “All of that is reasonable. We will keep to the rules.”

Then, he abruptly adds that “my name is Ambrose. Considering we are now sharing a bed, it seemed fair to tell you.”

Ambrose. It fits him and she likes the way it sounds. She is warmed that he felt open enough to tell her. Names hold power and he gifted it to her without her asking.

Then he ruins the moment.

“As pleasant as it is to hear you address me as Lord Raith in bed, I thought you might prefer to use a first name,” he says with a grin.

It is at times like this that make her want to light him on fire. She instead focuses on another important question: “What am I to you now?” she asks.

“The accepted term would be paramour.”

A secret lover, then. It fits.

Lord Raith (Ambrose, she corrects herself) gets up from the bed and only pauses long enough to put on pants at her glare before approaching.

He removes what she assumes to be Etruscan jewelry from the desk drawer and, after she nods in permission, clasps it around her wrist. There is a noticeable weight to it. Not enough to be uncomfortable but heavy enough to remind her of its presence.

Margaret narrows her eyes at him in suspicion and asks, “Is this a claiming thing?”

“In a manner of speaking.”

She’s about to tell him exactly what she thinks about that when he clarifies, “there are those in the White Court with a strong interest in you. This tells them that you are under my protection and not to be fed on. It does not inherently signal a physical relationship.”

It still feels a little weird to her but she can accept it as White Court thinking.

Margaret knows the Council, especially McCoy, wouldn’t like this but she doesn’t particularly care what they like or don’t like at the moment. When he pulls her to him, she melts in his arms.

Why would she not want him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost wrote in the sex scene but I get that not all my readers will find that appealing. I might upload it as its own fic.
> 
> EDIT: So I ended up writing the sex scene.  
> https://archiveofourown.org/works/27521323


	5. Accident

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things get more complicated and Margaret has a decision to make.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: accidental pregnancy, talk of death during pregnancy, talk of abortion, talk of miscarriage

The next two years fall into a comfortable pattern.

Margaret alternates between the Council and the White Court, while also making sure to stay in contact with her Fae allies. Somewhere along the way she finds herself spending more time interacting with the White Court than is arguably prudent. The more time she spends with the White Court the less time she spends among wizards. It is easy enough to justify to herself. She finds them fascinating; they are predators but often seem so human.

McCoy had always said they were monsters without any humanity. He wasn’t completely wrong; their moral code and way of thinking would seem unnatural to a mortal. But that didn’t mean they weren’t _people_.

She feels comfortable in a way she hadn’t among wizards. She no longer has patience for the Council’s strict rules and hypocrisy, how they deny the personhood of other beings to justify killing them. At least the vampires are honest about their nature. That she likes being around Ambrose is a positive bonus, although they keep that part of their ‘relationship’ quiet.

(She tries to tell herself it doesn’t mean anything more, that she knows what she’s doing and it’s only for a better world. She can step away at any time and return to the way things were. She had always been good at lying, including to herself.)

\-----------------------------------------------------------

Wizards generally aren’t inclined to illness and Margaret knows something isn’t right when she starts feeling sick. There are basic spells to check her health, but no problems are detected. She starts feeling tired without identifiable cause. 

There aren’t many other possibilities so she checks, just in case.

Her hands slide down to her stomach and she looks inward. It takes a moment but she definitely feels the spark of life growing inside her. She’s pregnant.

 _Shit_.

\------------------------------------------------------------

Margaret knows this shouldn’t have happened. Lara had mentioned that White Court vampires’ long lives came with low fertility rates. Combined with the anti-pregnancy spell it should have been prevention enough.

She is curled up with Ambrose on their bed when she decides to bring it up.

“What has brought on this question specifically?” His tone is cautious. She understands why. Most White Court members avoided this topic and none of the ones she regularly interacted with had given any indication of pregnancy.

Margaret can’t find the right words. She just moves his hand to around her stomach. He goes completely still.

“Are you certain?” he asks quietly.

She barely reigns in a sarcastic reply. This isn’t a good time for it. So she simply nods.

“There is a 50% chance of survival.”

That… that is worse than she thought.

Her unease rises when he admits how the fetus would unconsciously draw strength from the mother’s lifeforce to survive. Vampiric even before birth. That was the greatest danger of a White Court pregnancy. Even if it didn’t kill her, if the fetus didn’t feed enough it could die by miscarriage.

“Your magic should help keep you alive,” Ambrose adds.

She wonders how certain he is. She doubts vampire and wizard unions are especially common.

What are her options?

She could abort it. She might also miscarry along the way.

Or she could keep it. Let the cards fall where they may.

“I need time to think about it,” she says eventually.

It isn’t visible yet so she probably isn’t more than a couple months along. She has a few months to decide.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the 3-month long hiatus. Things got really busy and then I ran out of creative juice.  
> I have a pretty good idea on how the next few chapters will go so hopefully it will be smoother.
> 
> The tentative plan is to update every other week (might be sooner or later depending on circumstances).
> 
> EDIT: Quick question for readers, do you feel I'm moving too quickly? I noticed I've gone from 'relationship starts' to 'oops pregnant' over two chapters. Would shorter chapters that focus on specific moments be liked more? Margaret's reactions are a major element here and I want to portray that accurately.


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